List of The Vampire Chronicles characters

The following is a list of characters from Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles, which began with the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire. The series primarily follows the antiheroLestat de Lioncourt, a French nobleman turned into a vampire in the 18th century, and by extension the many humans and vampires whose lives he has touched in his own long existence. Rice also explores the origins of vampires far more ancient than the so-called "brat prince" Lestat.

Rice said in a 2008 interview that her vampires were a "metaphor for lost souls".[1] The homoerotic overtones of The Vampire Chronicles are also well-documented.[2][3][4][5] As of November 2008, The Vampire Chronicles had sold 80 million copies worldwide.[6]

Introduced in The Vampire Armand (1998), Bianca is an Italian vampire originally born in Florence, Italy in the late 1470s. She has sharp grey eyes and wavy golden hair, which she often interweaves with pearls, and is often described as a woman painted by Botticelli. Bianca lives a happy mortal life with her brothers until they die and she is forced to depend financially on her evil kinsmen, who are bankers. They provide amply for her as long as she kills those who they instruct her to kill. She does this by opening her house to virtually all as an amicable and graceful hostess and secretly placing poison in the wine cups of those whom her kinsmen want dead. Bianca is a renowned Venetiancourtesan when Marius comes to know her. Marius immediately falls in love with her and becomes obsessed with her, contemplating making her a vampire. A few years after the two meet, Armand arrives on the scene and also falls in love with Bianca. The three form an amiable sort of love triangle before the Children of Darkness, led by Santino, destroy Marius's palazzo, burn Marius and take away Armand. After the burning, Marius, severely weakened, mentally calls Bianca to him. Marius makes Bianca a vampire so that she can bring him victims so that he can heal. The two stay together for nearly two hundred years, caring for Those Who Must Be Kept, before Bianca leaves Marius in Dresden, when she overhears him telling Pandora that he would leave Bianca if it meant having Pandora with him once more. Marius also does not tell Bianca that rumors of Pandora in Dresden are the only reason they moved there. Armand later sees her in Paris in the early 19th century.

Anne Rice mentioned on her Facebook account on August 28, 2011 that Bianca is "still around".[7]

A young reporter introduced in Interview with the Vampire (1976), portrayed by Christian Slater in the 1994 film adaptation.

David Talbot

Superior General of the secret organization the Talamasca, which researches and investigates the supernatural. David is introduced in The Queen of the Damned (1988). He meets both Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac at the end of the novel. Lestat taunts David, offering to turn him with his powerful vampire blood, which David soundly refuses. In The Tale of the Body Thief (1992), it seems he and Lestat have become friends. After Lestat tries to end his immortal life by flying into the sun in the Gobi Desert, he visits David. He also seeks advice from David when Raglan James offers to switch bodies with him, though he doesn't listen to what David has to say. David helps Lestat regain his body. In the struggle with Raglan James, David switches into a much younger body, described as that of an Anglo-Indian with dark brown hair, while Lestat returns to his preternatural body. Lestat kills David's old body, which is possessed by James. In the end of the book, Lestat forces the blood upon David, making him his fledgling. David becomes somewhat of a confidant to Armand, and eventually records the story of his life in The Vampire Armand (1998). He is also described as having sexual preferences for young women and men, preferring men in The Tale of the Body Thief. David also appears in Merrick (2000), where he contacts the title character, who also happens to be part of the Mayfairs. In this book Merrick raises the spirit of Claudia for Louis. At the end it is revealed that Merrick has been using voodoo to bring both David and Louis to her so she can attain eternal life. This plan works, as Louis gives her the blood and makes her immortal. After he makes Merrick his fledgling, he tries to commit suicide by placing his coffin in the open where he would be burned to death when the sun rose. He nearly succeeds, but he is too old for the sun to end his life. David, Merrick, and Lestat find him and give him their blood to heal his burned form. Their combined blood makes Louis stronger than he had been before. The four then form a coven in New Orleans, but the Talamasca, enraged that three of their members had taken the blood, threaten the vampires and demand that Merrick, David and Jesse return to them. Lestat wants to retaliate against the Talamasca, but David talks him out of doing anything rash, and the four leave their home in the Rue Royal.

Introduced as the title character of Merrick (2001), she is a member of The Talamasca and is acquainted with David Talbot. Merrick is suddenly contacted by David Talbot, now a vampire, after his "death". He asks her to raise the spirit of Claudia for Louis de Pointe du Lac. Louis wants to know if Claudia is at peace after her death. Merrick can do this since she is a powerful witch, she is a part of great witch family called "The Mayfair Witches". When her godmother, Great Nannane, died there was no one who could take care of her because her sister (Honey in the Sunshine) and her mother (Cold Sandra) were deceased. There is also a matter of her raising. The Mayfair Family is big and they are both black and white but are all distanced from her immediate family. Orphaned, the young Merrick is taken in by David Talbot and Aaron Lightner and The Talamasca. As she grows her power increases and she studies to learn all that she can. She goes to high school and a university. Meantime she bonds with David and Aaron. When she is an adult she returns to become a full member of The Talamasca. When David suddenly dies, she knows something is not right and Aaron tells her nothing. When she says farewell to David's dead body her suspicions are confirmed. She decides to find papers where information about David has been filed. Merrick finds out that David has helped the famous vampire Lestat de Lioncourt. Lestat's powerful vampire body has been stolen by a former member of The Talamasca, Raglan James. When they got Lestat's body back Raglan stole David's body instead and David ended up in the body of a young male. David's original body is destroyed when Raglan, in David's original body, tries to trick Lestat to giving him "the Dark Gift". When David contacts her, years later, Merrick knows all of this. She agrees to raise the spirit of Claudia. When Merrick meets Louis, they fall in love, more or less. After the ceremony Louis and Merrick express a desire to talk and David goes out. The next night he finds that Merrick has been made into a vampire by Louis. Merrick later confesses to David, Louis and Lestat that it is what she's wanted ever since she found out about what happened to David. She also revealed that her ancestors had visited her dreams with a similar message of her fate. She used magic to bring David and Louis to her. When Louis later is dying after his attempt to burn himself in the sun to join Claudia, Lestat fully awakes from his sleep. He saves Louis by letting him drink from his powerful blood. Merrick is also allowed to drink and joins the little coven. Later a young vampire named Quinn calls upon Lestat and asks for help in Blackwood Farm (2002). The spirit of his dead twin brother (named Goblin) had been haunting him all his life, and now, when he is a vampire, Quinn is the victim of several attacks. Lestat can not help Quinn on his own and asks Merrick for help, and she agrees. She explains the nature of spirits and says that Goblin refuses "to go into The Light". She performs a kind of exorcism, but to make the spirit "go into the Light" she ends her own life and they both "go into the Light" together. It was earlier revealed by Lestat that Merrick was suffering, which all new vampires do due to their new nature.

Tarquin Blackwood is initially featured in the novel Blackwood Farm (2002) and later in Blood Canticle (2003). An oval face, with features that are almost too delicate. Sharp, intelligent blue eyes and jet black hair, cut short that is slightly curly. He stands at an impressive height of six foot four inches, and is of a slight, handsome build. Tarquin Anthony Blackwood was born in 1980 to Patsy Blackwood who was only 16 at the time. Quinn is looked after by his grandfather Pops, grandmother "Sweetheart" and Jasmine, a servant, who helps run the house, Blackwood Farm just outside of New Orleans. Quinn has spent his entire life accompanied by a spirit named Goblin. The first clear memory Quinn has of Goblin was his birthday party when he was 3 years old which is also the first instance known of Goblin being able to physically touch Quinn by pushing his hand and forcing him to ruin a birthday cake. He is given a harmonica for his birthday by his grandfather, Pops which he loves to play although Goblin hates it because Quinn pays him no attention whilst playing it. At the age of 7, whilst playing in the old cemetery with Goblin, Quinn sees a group of ghosts huddled together. Quinn is quite interested in these spirits which fade only to come back again, but as they don't move or talk he simply leaves them, much to the relief of Goblin. Quinn becomes a vampire and fledgling of Petronia. Soon after he is made, Arion (maker of Petronia) gives Quinn his blood so that Quinn is stronger. Arion tells Quinn that they must only feed upon people who have committed evil deeds (the "evil-doer" as they are commonly referred to). Quinn accepts this and is then told by Petronia to pick someone from the 3 servants in the house to feed upon. These are the same servants Quinn met when still alive so Quinn is reluctant to feed on any of them even though he can now see they have all committed some very bad deed. Quinn eventually kills one female servant and afterwards, Manfred also lets Quinn drink from him. Quinn then sees the ghost of Rebecca but ignores her now as he believes that to be finished now that he has died. Quinn is taken to hunt with Arion, Petronia and Manfred and here discovers that he can fly. The four of them arrive at a wedding full of "evil-doers" but Quinn mistakenly kills the bride who was not evil at all. Petronia, obviously enraged by this, begins beating Quinn until Arion stops it. The sun rises and Quinn sleeps during the day, dreaming of killing his mother Patsy. The next night Arion teaches Quinn how to hunt properly and teaches him about what he now is, a vampire. On returning to Petronia and Manfred they explain "the rules" to him: that the Talamasca is now his enemy and also that hunting in New Orleans is forbidden because Lestat de Lioncourt won't allow it. Quinn decides to return to Blackwood Farm. Even though Petronia and Arion ask him not to, he makes preparations to leave straight away. When Quinn arrives at Blackwood Farm, Goblin attacks him and feeds on him, drinking his blood. Goblin attacks Quinn every time Quinn feeds on someone, and his attacks are becoming stronger each time. Petronia visits Quinn at the island in the swamp and leaves him The Vampire Chronicles so he can understand things a bit better. On reading the books, he decides to find Lestat to ask for his help in dealing with Goblin. Quinn writes a letter to Lestat explaining a little about him and Goblin and asking for his help. He also encloses a cameo of himself for Lestat. Quinn takes this letter to Lestat's flat in New Orleans where he finds Stirling Oliver. Stirling can clearly see what Quinn is now and although Quinn tries to fight against it, he feeds on Stirling Oliver until he is pulled away from him. The person who pulled him away was Lestat who quickly deals with Stirling Oliver by warning him not to try it again and also not to make any mention of Quinn in any report he might make to the Talamasca. Lestat takes Quinn's letter and then takes him to feed and afterwards Quinn is attacked by Goblin. Lestat goes with Quinn back to Blackwood Farm where they spend a bit of time talking to Aunt Queen about cameos and their history. When Lestat and Quinn are alone, Goblin returns to feed on Quinn but Lestat burns him as he does so. Quinn then tells Lestat the story of himself and Goblin (and his entire life). After the story is done they hear a noise and Quinn discovers Goblin has killed Aunt Queen. Lestat suggests Merrick can perhaps help get rid of Goblin. At the wake of Aunt Queen, Quinn is alone as Lestat has gone to find Merrick Mayfair. Quinn notices Petronia there who has left Aunt Queen a cameo. Quinn also witnesses the ghost of Julien Mayfair who warns him against turning Mona into a vampire. Quinn leaves after seeing Rowan and Stirling Oliver arrive. Quinn is accompanied by Lestat and Merrick to the funeral where he speaks about Aunt Queen, as do many people. Also Quinn, out of habit, goes up to receive communion and Lestat and Merrick follow him. After the funeral Merrick tells Quinn to go home with his family and to keep Patsy in particular at home. When Merrick and Lestat arrive at Blackwood Farm, Quinn is told that Goblin is in fact the ghost of his twin brother who died shortly after they were born. Quinn doesn't believe this until Patsy confirms it and says his name was Gawain and that it was Quinn's fault that his brother died. Quinn hears the same story from Jasmine and her grandmother. Goblin leaves a message on the computer saying he wants Lestat and Merrick gone and that he hates Quinn. Quinn then gives Merrick all the information he can about Goblin so she can get rid of him. Quinn kills Patsy and the ghost of Rebecca appears and is satisfied because he killed her and leaves. Quinn drinks from Lestat so he has enough strength for what is going to happen next. A fire is built and Quinn and Lestat watch as Merrick performs a ritual which involves the remains of Goblin/Gawain. The ritual ends with Merrick jumping into the fire with Goblin and even though Lestat pulls her out and tries to save her, she is dead. Quinn and Lestat visit Oak Haven and speak to Stirling Oliver telling him about Merrick so that the Talamasca know what happened to her. Stirling Oliver tells Quinn that Mona Mayfair is dying. Quinn and Lestat leave the Talamasca to hunt. They arrive back at Blackwood Farm where they find Mona waiting for Quinn, dying. Quinn tells her what he is and Lestat makes her into a vampire for Quinn.

Ancient vampire who appears in Blood and Gold (2001). Avicus is far older than Marius, but he does not know his own strength, but it is implied in Blood and Gold that his powers are second to Marius. Avicus is from Egypt and some statements in Blood and Gold indicates that he was created by Akasha herself. The powerful blood he supposedly received and his age gives him his strength. If he was not created by Akasha he has most certainly received his power with age as he was a "God of the Grove" for hundreds of years. When the druid priest Mael needs a new "God of the Grove" (due to Marius' escape and the destruction of the old "God of the Grove" because they had Marius) it's decided that Mael is to become the new "God of the Grove". They learn about Avicus, who can be found in England, though the book indicated the forests to the north, most likely Scotland which at the time when the book is set has a large druid presence and was completely covered in the Caledonian forest, and they travel there. But Mael and Avicus makes an arrangement; Avicus will give Mael "the Dark Gift" if he is given a victim and freedom. Avicus wants to escape after learning (from using "the Mind Gift" on Mael) that Marius successfully escaped. Ultimately, it ends up with Avicus and Mael escaping together and becoming companions. They would eventually meet Marius and live together for a time. In Constantinople, Marius, Avicus and Mael discover Zenobia, a vampire fledgeling of the ancient Eudoxia. Mael, Avicus, and Zenobia are left behind by Marius when he takes Those Who Must Be Kept out of Constantinople. Over 1,000 years later, Marius learns from Mael that Avicus was in love with Zenobia he persuaded her to leave with him, abandoning Mael. Mael blames Marius for this, as he blamed Marius for all his misfortunes in ancient times.

Azim

Azim is the ancient "blood god" who has ruled in a Himalayan temple for a thousand years. He collects worshippers into his temple using his vampiric gift and drains their blood during the frenzied ceremonies. Azim is described by Pandora as plump, bronze-skinned, and wrapped in a lavish robe and a silk turban. Despite being "as old as Marius" and therefore powerful, Akasha invades his temple and kills him with a flick of her hand, his skull detonated and his body incinerated by her primal power.

Eric is mentioned only in The Queen of the Damned (1988) and The Tale of the Body Thief (1992). Eric is made a vampire by Maharet around 1000 BC at the mortal age of twenty-nine. His origin and past-life are unknown. He survives Akasha's worldwide slaughter due to his immortal age of three thousand years and is one of immortals who gathered at Sonoma to stand against Akasha. His first and only appearance is in Queen of the Damned where he came to Maharet, Jesse and Mael with his Italian companion, Santino, who argued with Maharet via telepathy. As they leave, Santino is furious and Eric confused because he did not understand their argument; being Maharet's fledgling, he couldn't read Maharet's mind. It was also stated that there were times that he came to visit Maharet, Mael and Jesse while bringing with him films from other countries and sometimes joining the three in their singing. Being a vampire of 3000 years of age, he is very powerful, his skin is hard and as white as marble and therefore couldn't easily burn under the sun. He is also described as having a youthful appearance and soft brown eyes. His brief conversations makes him out to have a deceptively fragile personality. His cowardice in particular makes him stand out.

Eudoxia

A vampire who appears in Blood and Gold (2001). After the Fall of Rome, Marius de Romanus, Avicus and Mael move to Constantinople, along with "Those Who Must Be Kept". Shortly after their arrival they are contacted by the young vampires Asphar and Rashid. They ask them to come to Eudoxia, "the vampire empress" in the city. When her guests arrive she tells them her story. She was around fifteen and about to get married when she was abducted by a vampire. She was then also made one. Her maker she never names, but they stayed together for several years. Eudoxia's maker was very cold and uncaring. After a few years she is taken to "Those Who Must Be Kept" to drink their blood and is directly after left by her maker. She decides to make copies of different texts for mortals in order to know the world. While she's at this she opens her house to mortals and an unnamed young man falls in love with her. He offers to leave his life for her and Eudoxia makes him into a vampire. They spend a few years together until "the Great Fire". The power of all vampires resides in "Those Who Must Be Kept" and one of "the Elders" of their temple has put it to the test. All young vampires are burnt to death as they are in the sun, including Eudoxia's lover. She travels to Egypt and finds out that "Those Who Must Be Kept" are in the custody of Marius. She spends her life trying to find him. She does not succeed and forms a coven in Constantinople. Her companions are Rashid, Asphar and Eudoxia's vampire lover Zenobia. All of them are young when made because Eudoxia thinks they are better off without a connection to their mortal life. When Marius finally comes to the city, she confronts him. She demands to get possession of "Those Who Must Be Kept", but Marius cannot allow this. He doesn't know if he can trust Eudoxia or what "Those Who Must Be Kept" want. The meeting ends in a fight where Eudoxia is defeated, despite being the elder of the pair, as Marius had drunk more of the blood of Akasha. In the fight Marius discovers that he has "the Fire Gift" when he uses to burn Rashid to ashes. The next night Eudoxia shows up at Marius' house and he agrees to let her see the shrine. As she talks to Akasha and Enkil, Akasha takes her and drinks her blood but Eudoxia is saved by Marius. To heal, Eudoxia needs a victim for feeding. They find a real nobleman, but they let the people know that he has been murdered. The blame falls on Marius and they destroy his house. In his anger he destroys Asphar and all other vampires before he throws Eudoxia to Akasha, where she meets her destruction.

Gabrielle de Lioncourt

The mother of Lestat de Lioncourt, Gabrielle first appears in The Vampire Lestat (1985). She is Lestat's first fledgling, and the second to leave him after Nicolas de Lenfent. She has yellow-blond hair like her son's and cobalt blue eyes with "too small, too kittenish" features, as Lestat described them, that "made her look like a girl." Gabrielle comes from a prosperous Italian family. She was educated and had traveled to and lived in many cities in Europe. Then she was married at a young age to Lestat's father, the Marquis d'Auvergne. Gabrielle gave birth to eight children, but only 3 survived. Out of these sons, the youngest (Lestat), was to become her favourite. She and Lestat shared a special bond: they both were trapped in a place they hated and struggling endlessly to escape. Gabrielle was cold and uncaring to everyone. She was the only person who was educated in her family and read her books every day, yet lacked the patience to teach her sons to read or write anything. Over the years she sold two of her heirloom jewels from an Italian grandmother to aid Lestat, the only person she loved and cared for. She lived life through him; he was the male part of her. She suffered a rapidly declining health due to bad winters and multiple childbirths. It eventually developed into tuberculosis. She funded Lestat's trip to Paris with his friend Nicolas de Lenfent by giving him gold coins and advising him to hitch a ride on the postal carriage. Lestat became an actor there and was far happier than he ever was back home. He was grateful and loved his mother for all that she had done for him over the years so he sent letters to her telling her about his life in Paris. She encouraged his acting career, which gave him lot of strength. She carefully hid her rapidly declining health to keep him strong. Lestat was made into a vampire by Magnus, and inherited near-inexhaustible wealth when Magnus killed himself in a bonfire. He repaid those who helped him with gold and indulged in his new-found wealth. To hide the truth from Gabrielle, Lestat told her tales of going to the Bahamas, marrying a rich woman and coming into vast wealth. Intrigued, she went to Paris to see her son before she died. Lestat went to see his mother the second night she was in Paris and tried to hide the truth from her, but she found out upon closer inspection of Lestat's changed appearance that he had become a vampire. When Gabrielle began dying right in front of him, a desperate Lestat made her a vampire. Lestat was now the maker, parent, and teacher, while Gabrielle became the fledgling, the child and the student. Lestat took her to his tower where they lived happily for months. Things changed, however, when Lestat destroyed the Satanic cult headed by Armand, founded a theatre and made Nicolas into a vampire. After this, Lestat and Gabrielle went traveling around the world. Gabrielle became increasingly distant and cold to her son. They finally parted in Egypt just after the French Revolution. Gabrielle went into the deep jungles of Africa and Lestat went underground to sleep for two years. Gabrielle was off exploring the world on her own for the next 200 years. She did not reappear until 1985 (during 1988's The Queen of the Damned.) She was there to help her son fight against Akasha and help save the world. During this time, she developed a slight bond with Marius, but nothing became of it and she drifted away from everyone again. Gabrielle resurfaced for the last time after Memnoch the Devil, in The Vampire Armand (1998) while Lestat was in his catatonic sleep.

Mael is mentioned briefly in The Vampire Lestat (1985). Along with Marius de Romanus and Pandora, he is one of the legendary ancient vampires. When Marius tells the young Lestat the story of his life, he says that Mael was the druid priest who abducted him to become the new "God of the Grove". Marius escaped. Mael later returns in The Queen of the Damned (1988). He is a companion to Maharet and also seeks to protect her mortal descendant Jesse Reeves. Mael is present when Maharet tells Jesse her story, when they later try to reason with Akasha, and when Mekare kills her. The third appearance by Mael is at the end of Memnoch the Devil. Lestat de Lioncourt goes to Heaven and Hell with the Devil, Memnoch, and he brought back Veronica's Veil, causing chaos among mortals and bringing out many of the ancients. Mael tells David Talbot and Lestat that he is going to burn himself in the sun for God. Mael is an ancient and thereby too strong for the sunlight to kill him ordinarily, but he believes that the presence of the Veil negates his supernatural powers (but not his vulnerabilities). The final implication is that Mael dies as the novel ends, but it's revealed by Marius in Blood and Gold (2001) that Mael's suicide attempt is unsuccessful, "He was badly burnt and brought low, as can happen with us who are very old, and after one day in the sun, he hadn't the courage for more suffering. Back to his companions he went and there he remains." He appears in Blood and Gold when Marius tells Thorne about his life, in which Mael is included. Marius has just left Pandora when he meets Mael and his maker Avicus in Rome, the city he moved to. When Marius had escaped and the old god had been killed (because they had Marius), Mael is chosen to become the new "God of the Grove". The druids find out about Avicus in England and they travel there. When they get there Avicus uses "the Mind Gift" on Mael and learns about Marius' escape. To give Mael "the Dark Gift" Avicus wants a victim and freedom, but it all ends up with that Mael is turned into a vampire and they escape together. Mael and Avicus become companions and eventually meet Marius in Rome, where they reveal all this. There is a lot of anger between Mael and Marius while Avicus tries to keep them from fighting. They come to a peace where they all live in the city. Mael and Avicus keeps the city clean from The Children of Darkness, but one night Mael is injured and Marius agrees to help. Marius must give Mael blood so he can heal and then Mael sees visions of Those Who Must Be Kept. Gradually they get to know more and more, and Avicus seems to have been made by Akasha before becoming "A God of the Grove". Mael is furious that Marius kept such an important secret to himself, about that Marius destroyed his belief and about the connection between Avicus and Marius. Marius eventually takes them to Those Who Must Be Kept and Mael tries to drink from Akasha. Enkil does not like it and Marius saves Mael in the last minute from being killed by Enkil. Later when Rome is falling Marius goes to sleep and they try to wake him but do not succeed. A hundred years later they decide to leave for Constantinople and finally successfully awaken Marius. In Constantinople, they separate, and then Mael becomes Maharet's companion.

Magnus

Magnus is the vampire who sired the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt in The Vampire Lestat (1985). Magnus is characterized by black hair and eyes of the same color. As a mortal, he was an alchemist. He was an old man when he trapped a vampire in chains and stole the Dark Gift/Blood for himself. That happened in the course of the Middle Ages. According to the "Old Queen" (Alessandra) of Armand's coven in Paris, Magnus was 300 years old when he made Lestat. Over time, he was driven mad from his vampiric nature and immortality. He sought an heir to inherit the immense wealth that he had accumulated over the years before killing himself. Magnus searched for years for his heir. In his dungeon, he had hundreds of decomposing bodies stored in a room. These discarded bodies were the remnants of Magnus' search for a suitable heir. Every one of these "candidates" had blond hair and blue eyes, just as Lestat does. After choosing Lestat as his heir, Magnus leapt into a pyre he had made for himself (giving Lestat explicit instructions to scatter his ashes after he had burned up). He left Lestat to struggle and learn for himself of his new vampiric nature and its powers. Lestat would later lament that he learned "absolutely nothing" from the one who made him.

A vampire introduced in Interview with the Vampire (1976), portrayed by Stephen Rea in the 1994 film adaptation.

Santino

Santino is the leader of a coven of Satanicvampires, the members of which hold a common belief that they are meant to be the scourge of humankind. He approaches Marius de Romanus in Rome, some 500 years before Marius meets Lestat de Lioncourt, and confronts him about the "father and mother", whom Marius has been thinking of. This startles Marius greatly, as he is much older than Santino, so reading his mind should be impossible, He decides to scare the young Santino, by setting his cloak on fire and telling him to leave. Marius does not hear of Santino again until sometime later, when Mael tells Marius of his meeting with Santino. Santino and his satanic coven ultimately attack Marius' Venetian home, his followers burning his house and killing some of the boys he harbors. Marius is badly burned from this incident and his fledgling Armand is taken, along with a number of Marius's boys. The coven burns the boys alive in a giant fire. Santino rescues Armand, claiming to his followers that the young fledgling has a heart for God. Armand does not come over to the darker life of the coven so easily though. With the help of his follower Alessandra they keep Armand locked up in their crypt, starving him for days before allowing him to feed. Eventually Armand gives in and is accepted as Santino's apprentice. After some time Armand is chosen to become the leader of the Paris coven, whose former leader went into the fire. Alessandra picks the name Armand for him as a new name and goes with him to Paris. Santino is not heard of again until in the novel The Queen of the Damned (1988) where he comes with Eric to Maharet's place, meeting Jesse who is still human at that time and where he accompanies Pandora to rescue Marius from the icy wall Akasha has entrapped Marius in, possibly hoping to redeem himself in his eyes for the wrongs he had done to the elder. After the events of Queen of the Damned, he stays for a time on Armand's Night Island, occasionally playing chess with Armand. He is also mentioned in The Vampire Armand (1998), when Armand, after going into the sun sees both his old master and his old coven master destroying evidence the humans had of vampires existing. Marius never takes his revenge against Santino for destroying his life in Venice and taking his Armand from him (at first because he doesn't have the opportunity and later because the new vampire queen forbids vampires from killing each other, as their numbers are low). Marius harbors a deep hatred for Santino, and centuries later tells his story to a vampire companion named Thorne. When Marius and Thorne met Santino, Thorne slays Santino with the Fire Gift so that Marius' heart will be at rest. This results in Thorne's confinement.

Thorne

Thorne is a vampire who appears in the novel Blood and Gold (2001), which details the life of the vampire Marius de Romanus. Thorne is a Viking warrior originally called Thornevald that is sent to slay a vampire-witch that has been killing villagers and stealing their eyes. Thorne finds the vampire and learns that she has no eyes of her own, and must take eyes from her victims to see. After a time, the mortal eyes wear out in her immortal body and she must take another pair from one of her victims. This vampire is Maharet, one of the most ancient vampires and the story of how she lost her eyes is recounted in The Queen of the Damned (1988). Maharet does not slay Thorne but turns him into a vampire and keeps him as her companion. Soon the pair are joined by other vampires, including the druid vampire Mael, who shares an uneasy friendship with Marius. Jealous of Maharet's attentions to the other vampires, Thorne eventually leaves her. He lies asleep for centuries in the ice of the far north, his jealousy gradually growing into a mad obsession. He is awakened by the events of the novel The Queen of the Damned. Marius makes contact with him using the Mind Gift, a form of telepathy. Thorne journeys south and finds Marius in a large city near the Arctic Circle. Marius enjoys it here as the noonday darkness allows him to live more like a normal person. Marius takes him to his home and discovers that Thorne still harbors a jealous rage for Maharet. Knowing that Maharet could easily destroy Thorne in a battle, Marius tries to dissuade him from his suicidal obsession and begins to recount his life story to Thorne. Marius' story accounts for the bulk of the novel. Thorne politely listens to Marius' account of his life and what he has learned as a vampire. Thorne is particularly interested in the story of the brutal attack on Marius by the vampire Santino and his Satanic cult of followers, who burn Marius in his house and kidnap his apprentice Armand. At the end of the tale Thorne questions Marius why he has not taken revenge on Santino and offers to help kill him. Marius explains that Maharet now rules the vampires as regent for her mute sister, Mekare, and Maharet forbids it. Marius pleads with Thorne to forget the past and talk of revenge, but Thorne still insists on Marius taking him to see Maharet. Marius reluctantly agrees and the pair are mysteriously whisked away. They awaken in a jungle location, where Maharet lives in seclusion with her sister, the new Queen of the Damned. Several other vampires are present, including Pandora, Marius' long lost love; Armand; and Santino. After a brief, bitter discussion, Marius admits that he still wishes to kill Santino. However, he will not because Maharet forbids it, and Marius believes that for Maharet's rule over the vampires to be valid, all vampires must obey her. Thorne abruptly kills Santino himself and then attacks Maharet in a jealous rage. Mekare comes to her sister's aid and easily pulls Thorne away. Thorne, knowing he is undone, whispers a request to the mute Queen as they struggle and she complies. Mekare removes Thorne's eyes from their sockets and hands them to Maharet. Maharet accepts the gift and binds Thorne with ropes made of her hair, the only material strong enough to hold a vampire. Thorne ends the novel as Maharet's eternal prisoner, but he is happy knowing that the object of his obsession will always be near him, and that her new eyes will last her forever.

Those Who Must Be Kept

Those Who Must Be Kept are the progenitors of all vampires, and are thus regarded as the "King and Queen of the Vampires". Originally King Enkil and Queen Akasha of Kemet (now Egypt) circa 5,000 BC, they became the first vampires when an evil spirit named Amel was able to enter the body of Akasha through a wound and fuse with her flesh. Akasha then turned Enkil into a vampire by drawing out nearly all of his blood and then allowing him to drink nearly all of hers. The term "Those Who Must Be Kept" is coined by the vampire Marius de Romanus, referring to the fact that what befalls Akasha and Enkil also befalls all vampires; if they are injured, so are their children, if they die, so do all vampires. An example of this is explained in the story of Marius' life: The current caretaker of the two sought to be free of them, and placed them in the sun. The two lived, but weaker vampires were destroyed by spontaneous combustion.